That summer led to everything
by merdarkandtwisty
Summary: In 1991 Jackie Forman has just given birth to her son, as she falls asleep she thinks of how it all started, that summer of 1983 the summer that changed it all and led her to that moment. follow Eric and Jackie's journey. from the summer of 1983 till the birth of their son.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own that 70s show

1991 Point Place Wisconsin.

"He's so precious." She whispered looking at the baby swaddled in her arms, asleep so sweet. Her heart swelled. She never thought she could love someone as much she loved her husband but the moment that little boy had been placed in her arms, she knew a whole other kind of love.

"Oh Charles Reginald you are the most precious baby the world has ever been blessed with." She ran her finger down his downy cheek.

"Now Jackie you're going to give the boy a big head." Her husband cracked.

"Eric." Jackie looked over at her husband, he is precious just look at him."

Eric took the sleeping child from his wife's arms and cradled. Him. "He is pretty cute, to bad you insisted on naming him after my father." He cracked.

"Eric be nice if it wasn't for Red, we probably wouldn't even have him."

"Okay I think you give my father to much credit." He rolled his eyes.

"Eric go show the baby off to your parents," she swatted him playfully.

"come on boyo time to meet the grandparents, I'm apologize if Grandma kitty smothers you with kisses, I promise to never threaten to put a foot up your butt like your grandpa Red used to me."

Jackie smiled at the little scene in front of her father and son, it was precious it was heartwarming, she promised silently that Charlie would never know the childhood she grew up in. he would have two loving parents she'd always be there. She felt her eye lids getting heavy as she fell asleep her mind went back through the years to the summer of 1983. The summer everything changed, the summer that lead to this very moment, without that summer she never would have been Jackie Forman and she'd never have darling Charles Reginald Forman.

A/N so this is a very short prolog to the story. Next up will be longer, and we'll go back to 1983 and see how Jackie and Eric got to that hospital room with their new son. A long story coming, I think it will go through their whole courtship up until she has the baby and end with her waking up with Eric Kitty and Red in the room.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own that 70's show

June 1983

"I can't believe this." Jackie moaned as rain poured down on her head. Here she was In Paris, caught in the rain. Wasn't this supposed to be the most romantic city in the world. She had been running fast and hard for so many years and here she was, alone in Paris.

She had left Point Place only a week after New Years day 1980. She wanted to see the world, she wanted to live and so she had, Eric had come, and went in the blink of an eye. Here was there for only hours before he'd hopped back on a plane back to Africa, Donna had went off to Madison, Fez went to California Hyde went to Vegas to find Sam. Kelso went back to Chicago with Betsy and Brooke, that left Jackie alone in point place. She was restless so she decided it was time to travel. She was able to get her hands on her trust fund, which luckily was still saved despite her father's criminal past and she used the money to see all the places, she'd always wanted to see and fill the void she felt in her very soul.

Yet here she was years later, In Paris, soaked and just as lonely as she'd been all those years ago, she walked down the street and bumped into someone.

"Oh I'm sorry." She said looking up at a man with striking eyes and close-cut hair. "Eric." She gasped.

"Jackie." He looked down at her frowning at the sight in front of him. She'd felt a bubble of happiness for a split second seeing someone from her past but the look he was currently giving her quickly deflated that.

"Guess you're not Happy to see me." She swallowed.

"What?" He shook his head. "No I'm very happy to see you I'm just surprised, that's all What are you doing in Paris Jackie?"

"I could ask you the same thing." She pointed out. "Last I knew you were in Africa you left a heart broken Donna behind in your wake. "

"Yeah right." He scoffed.

"What you don't believe me." She put her hands on her hips and glared up at him.

"Heartbroken and Donna in the same sentence, no can't say I believe you." He shook his head and grabbed Jackie's arm guiding her to a little café. "Here let's get out the rain." He held the door open for her and she shook some of the rain from herself as she came inside.

They settled into a little table and ordered coffees. "So, what are you doing here?" Jackie asked. Still trying to understand running into Eric Forman so far from Wisconsin.

He shrugged, "Didn't feel ready to go home I guess, I finished my teaching program in Africa last year and then I decided to travel, it led me here, I've been teaching a small class for the last few months."

"So, what you're just going to live in France now?"

"No." Eric chuckled, it was similar to the chuckle she remembered from her childhood but deeper, there was something chilly behind it. Not mean just not as open as Eric used to be.

"So, what are you going to do then?"

"Maybe go back to Wisconsin, mom and Dad are always nagging me to come home, my contract is almost up here so we'll see, maybe it's time to go home and face, well everything I left behind. He shrugged; Jackie could tell he was trying to be casual about it but he wasn't exactly succeeding. "Anyway enough about me why are you in Paris, last I heard you were dating Fez."

Jackie snorted, "Yeah that went up in flames soon after that New Years day."

"Really what happened?"

"We were never meant to be together; I think no I know I always knew that but I was desperate for someone to love and Fez always worshipped me. It fizzled as soon as it flamed, plus Fez wanted to go to LA and work on all the stars hair."

"Sounds like Fez," Eric agreed.

"Anyway, everyone else was gone, you had left, Steven, Donna, Michael so I left to I grabbed onto my trust fund and just left and here I am three years later and I don't know aimless. I was just thinking of going back when I ran into you." Jackie admitted.

"Why don't you stay with me for a bit. I have a two-room apartment, my roommate recently moved out so I have room and it would be nice to see a familiar face, we can figure out what to do when my contract is up." He suggested.

"Okay." Jackie agreed, she really had no reason to object or any plans of where to go next.

"Great lets go we can stop by your hotel and get your things and be on our way." Eric seemed very happy to Jackie. She would remember years later when he told her that seeing her that summer day was like a breath of fresh air after he'd been drowning.

They stopped by the hotel Jackie had been staying at and quickly gathered her luggage before going to Eric's little apartment. "It's not much." Eric shrugged.

"No, it's nice." Jackie gave him a smile. "Homey, different then the places I have been staying."

"I can only bet." Eric chuckled. "Well here is your room." He opened the door and showed her a small room with a bed and dresser.

"Thank you." She nodded.

"I'll just let you get settled in." he said closing the door. She looked around the room and sighed in relief. Eric had rescued her. She didn't' want to tell him that she was running low on funds and wasn't sure how she was going to stay on the move the way she had been. Now she could stay with Eric and be safe. Maybe it really was time to go back to Wisconsin. To see Everyone, tie up loose ends and figure out what she was doing with the rest of her life.

Who knew that just one moment would change the direction she thought her very life was taking.

A/N so hope you enjoy this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own that 70s show.

The weeks and the months went by in a flash. Eric and Jackie finding a rhythm as they lived together. Soon Eric's contract with the school was up and he sat in his apartment with Jackie by his side and looked around. He turned to her, an almost baffled look on his face.

"So what do you think Jacks, should we stay here or go back to Wisconsin or hell to some other country or state all together."

"I really wish you would stop calling me that." She rolled her eyes.

"Ah no can do Jacks," Eric poked her side playfully.

"If it was anyone else…" Jackie grumbled.

"ha knew you loved me." Eric lifted his arms in triumph.

"Yeah okay we'll go with that." Jackie giggled.

"So… what are we going to do?" Eric asked once again.

Jackie nibbled on her bottom lip, she sighed and wrapped her arms around her middle. "I just… don't know." She shook her head, "I don't think we can stay here though."

"yeah." Eric agreed. "We need to figure something out that's for sure."

"I guess it's back to point place." Jackie sighed, a bit of her sad to see her adventures ending, a piece of her worried what reception they would get in Point Place, but there was a bigger part of her that was thrilled to be going back to the familiar.

"Yeah." Eric slowly agreed. What would it be like to go home, see his mom, see his dad, all the places and things he knew from his childhood?

"So I guess we pack and get tickets to Wisconsin." Jackie said a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "Then it's trying to find an apartment and a job."

Eric grimaced, "I really don't think I can go back to living with my parents, I've been on my own for so long, so I guess I'm off to do the same though I have plenty of money saved up so I have a little leeway in finding a place."

"I wish." Jackie huffed thinking how she blew through her trust fund.

"Jackie are you broke?"

"Maybe." She bit her lip. "I mean I have a little money but I don't know." She tried to defend, and then she fell back against the couch.

Eric pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her shoulder. "Hey it's okay." He soothed, you'll find something and until you do well," he shrugged and patted her shoulder. "You're welcome to stay with me where ever I land. You're not such a bad roommate." He teased.

Jackie looked at him. In the time she'd been staying in Paris, she'd noticed differences' in Eric, he was calmer, he was more mature, he was pensive, darker maybe, she knew things must have happened to him. She could almost see the haunting in his eyes but she didn't push and he didn't offer.

If you had told her years earlier that Eric Foreman would be the one guy she could trust, who was basically her best friend, she would have scoffed at you and called you an idiot. Now though, no know she could see that Eric really was the best of all of them, hell he'd been taking care of her without batting an eye since he found her on the soaked sidewalk of Paris, and he was going to still take care of her when they got home.

"I guess we should pack, really no use sticking around. " Jackie stood up, shrugging Eric's arm of her, a part of her felt instantly cold at the loss of his touch. She didn't know it then, she wouldn't know it for years but Eric had watched her walk away that day and a part of his heart was thankful that she was still sticking with him, he wasn't ready to face Wisconsin by himself, but who would ever know that Jackie Burkhart would be the one that he'd cling to. He'd tell her in coming years that seeing her had been a shock to his system, he'll tell her that he had almost ran in the opposite direction, but that something had stopped him in his tracks. She was like a siren's song pulling him in and he wasn't going to even try to fight it.

It only took them a few days to pack up the apartment, to buy their tickets, Eric insisted on buying Jackie's and soon they were on a plane back to the United States.

"So," Jackie said turning away from the window as they were flying through the air. "Are you ever going to tell me what went down with you and Donna?" Donna had been a sore subject with Eric, whenever Jackie brought up his red haired ex he always clammed up or snorted in some type of derisive manner.

"It's not a great story." Eric heaved a sigh.

"Yeah well we got hours so…"

"We've had months, what makes you think I'll tell you now when I wouldn't tell you then?" he chuckled.

"Well not like you can get away from me now." Jackie pointed out.

Eric grimaced, "I guess that's true."

"So you're going to tell me?" Jackie almost clapped her hand well Eric gave her a weird look

"It's not like it's some Happy story." He pointed out.

"Oh right." Jackie tried to clear her face of any glee.

"Anyway." Eric pressed his lips together. "Me and Donna," he blew out a breath.

"Really you're just going to say me and Donna?" Jackie arched her eyebrow and looked at him.

"Patience woman this isn't pleasant for me to talk about. "

"Sorry." She held up her hands in mock defense.

"I came home, and she kissed me but then she told me she was going to Madison, I had to finish out my term in Africa so I figured we'd be okay." He swallowed. "How wrong I was."

"What happened?" Jackie was literally on the edge of her seat and the guy in the aisle seat was looking at the pair strangely.

"I was going to go into the house when Donna started to cry." Jackie looked at him sideways. "I asked her what was wrong and there on the hood of the vista cruiser where we had shared our first kiss, she told me that she was pregnant with another man's baby."

"Randy." Jackie breathed.

"Yeah I guess that was his name." Eric shrugged, "She admitted that she wasn't going to tell me. She said she was only a month along so her plan had been to seduce me and then claim the baby was mine but just born premature."

"No." Jackie gasped horrified.

"Yeah. She said her conscious got the best of her though. She couldn't do it. She didn't say anything else, she just hopped off the hood of the car and ran into her house, I heard her mutter something about an abortion. No clue if she went through with it or not. I don't really care, that was the last time I saw Donna."

"Oh Eric." She brushed her hand over the sleeve of his jacket. "I'm so sorry." She whispered.

"what are you sorry for you didn't do anything?" he shook his head. "I just grabbed my bags didn't even talk to my parents or anyone else for that matter and went back to the airport, I couldn't face anyone and then…" he trailed off. "Other things happened so…"

Jackie decided pushing him on those other things wasn't the best thing. She didn't say another word just sat back in the plane seat and thought of Donna, Donna had never told her she was pregnant, that hurt, now Jackie couldn't help but wonder if Donna had given birth to a child, or if she'd had the abortion. That would be prickling at her mind until she got the answer.

She could see a mask of pain over Eric's face and reached out and grabbed his hand giving it a squeeze. He didn't pull away. Though years later he would tell her that he had wanted too. That he'd felt raw in that moment exposed.

That was the first break through of the Jackie and Eric friendship but it wouldn't be the last. They landed in Wisconsin and instead of heading to Point place Eric and Jackie decided to Crash in a hotel and figure out their next move in the morning.

It was a room with two twin beds, as Jackie laid to sleep that night her mind was racing, finally the sound of Eric's even breathing lulled her to sleep. She couldn't help but wonder and fear what tomorrow would bring.

A/N thanks for all the reviews they are amazing. So since this is Jackie Dreaming about the past you won't really get Eric's feeling unless I put in later he would tell Jackie ect.. the Donna pregnant when Eric came home from Africa bit was inspired by Marla's lost from her story pictures in time, if you haven't already go read her stories. She is the reason for my Jeric love.


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